Pakistan skipper, Babar Azam, has stated that it was a “proud moment” for him to have the former Indian captain Virat Kohli praise him in an interview during the T20 World Cup 2022.
In a video posted by the Indian sports channel, Star Sports, on Thursday, Babar answered how he felt regarding the comments given about him by the Indian batter.
The remarks come ahead of an electrifying matchup between Pakistan and India in the Asia Cup tomorrow, which will be held at Pallekele Stadium in Sri Lanka.
“It feels very nice when someone passes such comments, and the way Virat Kohli made the comments is a very proud moment for me and it feels very nice,” the world number one batter said.
Babar stated that his urge to pick the brains of the then-Indian captain during his prime and to take something from Kohli helped him learn a lot.
’He was at his peak … I was thinking then that I should take something from him and I learned a lot from him at that time,“ Babar said.
He added that Kohli had answered the questions that he had in detail and it helped his technique a lot.
Speaking in an interview last year, Kohli said Babar was performing “so consistently and rightly so, he has amazing talent and I’ve always enjoyed watching him play”.
Recounting his history and first meeting with Babar at the 2019 cricket World Cup, Kohli said he had seen a lot of “regard and respect” from Azam from “day one”.
“That has not changed,” he added.
“It hasn’t changed because he is performing now and coming into his own. I don’t see his attitude or approach changing towards me which is a very good sign of someone who is very grounded in the foundations of his upbringing and his cricketing foundations as well are very solid,” the top-order batsman stated.
“I’ve always enjoyed watching him play,” he added.
Kohli also said players such as Azam “go a long way” and “inspire many”.
Babar’s interview comes two days prior to tomorrow’s clash with the neighbours in the Asia Cup who will go up against each other in what promises to be a high-voltage match.